gahhhh why do i suck at changing strings?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JimmyDoomsday
  • Start date Start date
JimmyDoomsday

JimmyDoomsday

New member
is there some fool proof method to changing strings? because no matter what i do, no matter what the guitar, strings, or headstock configuration (electric, acoustic, 6 in-line, 3 and 3, dinky/reverse, locking trem, etc), i ALWAYS snap one of them while tightening it (usually an unwound one, but not always). i have to buy multiple sets at a time because of the inevitability of snapping brand new strings and needing a replacement for it at the ready. what am i doing wrong?
 
Hmmm....snapping strings?

I have an issue with getting the right amount of winds around the post on the first try but not usually breaking strings.

Where are they usually breaking? If its at the post it could be because you are overlapping the winds. Also, don't over wind (I apologize if this is obvious). Tighten them until they feel slightly less than standard playing tension then increasing pitch slowly with a tuner.
 
What nevusofota said, but also check for a "burr" on your bridge and at the nut. And make sure that your strings are not making any severe angles anywhere.

What kind of guitar and what type of bridge are you using?
 
I change strings almost every week and still have a bitch of a time with Floyd Roses. I'm about to scrap the remaining two Floyd guitars I have and go all hardtails from here on... unless I decide to give into my EBMM JP7 BFR hankering... :D
 
they mostly break at the bridge, but sometimes at the post and even in like the middle of the fretboard o_O
 
check your saddle for a burr or worn in spot.

what kind of strings are you buying?
 
i don't think its a bur because the OP says it happens w/ acoustics??

You're just doing something weird to the strings during the changing process. Make sure you don't kink them before brought up to pitch. Also, maybe you're putting too much tension on them when trying to keep them tight on the posts during the winding process.

Other than that, I don't know man. Weird.
 
Wow. I have never broken a single string while changing them in 10 years. Is it always the same one?
 
yeah, i missed that about with all his guitars.

weird for sure.

sometimes i'll get a weak string that will break when im stretching it after installing. i've used dean markely blue steels for over 15 years now, and once in a while, i'll get a dead one, or one that breaks.....but for the most part, i dont have any issue close to this.

i've never even heard of this problem actually
 
i buy a few different brands of strings, but mostly d'addario (for acoustics, i use martin strings).

again, this happens on ALL types of guitars; different brands, different headstocks, different bridge systems. more often than not, they break by the bridge about an inch or two from the spool/stopper at the end of the string. i think i'm just cursed.
 
try running a pencil through your bridge saddle slots before you put the strings on.

are they all pretty corroded looking? if so, you might need new saddles on all or some of your guitars.

if not, try the pencil graphite trick. actually, i do it there *(on my non graph tech saddle guitars) and on the nut of each guitar i restring.
 
The most likely explanation here lies in your method. Please give us a rundown on how you install a string, step-by-step, including how you crimp the string before wrapping, how many wraps around the post, how fast you tighten the strings, etc.

As a guitar tech, i've tried several different ways of installing strings, and one of the things i've learned is that there doesn't seem to be an absolute best way of doing things, but it's important that you find a process and stick with it. This means crimping your strings the same way, beginning your string wind at the same length so that your number of wraps is the same every time, etc.

As was mentioned before, make sure your winds don't overlap each other. They should be neatly formed down the post. I like to have 3 complete winds on wound strings, and up to 5 on unwound strings. This is on standard tuning posts. I deal mostly with Spertzel locking tuners on tour, however, and these require only a single turn per post.

When i'm doing a thorough setup on guitars, one of the things i like to do is use various fine wire wheels with my Dremel to polish saddle slots, and the edges of the string holes on tuning posts. This greatly reduces the chances of string breakage due to burrs and friction.
 
well, i start with either the d or the g strings and work my way out (d, g, a, b, e (low), e (high). i softly crimp the strings at a 90 degree angle around the post that's one further than the one it will be strung through. i then wind them with the corner of the 90 degree angle against the post (winds vary depending on which string it is - total revolutions are anywhere from 2-4).

if the string snaps at the bridge (again, it's usually the b or high e), it does so before it even reaches its proper tuning tension.

if the string snaps closer to the post, it does so during stretching after the initial tune-up. i hold the string down at the nut and give it a few liberal pulls starting around the neck pickup and working my way towards the headstock; half a dozen pulls at most.
 
Breaking at the bridge is a dead giveaway that you've likely got some burr action going on at those saddles. Breaking at the post while you pull on the strings is usually an indication that you are pulling too hard. try barring your left hand across the first couple of frets (almost as if you are making a bar chord) when you pull so as not to place the strain point on the winding post as much. pulling straight up is also a greater risk for snapping the string, IME. I prefer to pull gently side to side progressing upward toward the headstock for the length of the string.
 
Have you tried changing them one at a time?If there is a 'standard' amount of tension when you put the higher strings it would be better.Had the same problem with the high e string on a classical guitar.I ended up winding the string really slowly with fingers crossed.Sometimes it worked.
 
If you can't get a consistent number of wraps per string you're doing it wrong. Use the posts themselves to "measure" how much slack you need. On fender types, I use four posts, on gibson types, usually 2.5 is plenty due to spacing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top